With regards to medical careers and standardized testing, I think it’s important to point out some non-obvious facts.
The US Medical Licensing exam was designed to be used in precisely the way described here: as a threshold. If you pass the test, you’re eligible to get a medical license. If you don’t you aren’t (pending possible retakes).…
With regards to medical careers and standardized testing, I think it’s important to point out some non-obvious facts.
The US Medical Licensing exam was designed to be used in precisely the way described here: as a threshold. If you pass the test, you’re eligible to get a medical license. If you don’t you aren’t (pending possible retakes). That’s it. The test is now used to evaluate candidates for residency and fellowship training in medical specialties. That is not what it is designed for. People train in specific specialties, and the test is in general medicine. It is not clear that acing a test in general medicine makes you suited to be the best eye surgeon, or the best psychiatrist. The test is also administered by a national entity, which can and does put ideologically loaded questions in there. I’m not at liberty to discuss any specific questions that I might have had, but again I would not say that this test is necessarily a great standard.
What would be better? In my opinion, tests for specific specialties (i.e. the standardized test to get into neurology should focus on things that a neurologist needs to know), and in some cases tests which measured things like hand-eye coordination for the surgical specialties might be appropriate as well as knowledge tests.
With regards to medical careers and standardized testing, I think it’s important to point out some non-obvious facts.
The US Medical Licensing exam was designed to be used in precisely the way described here: as a threshold. If you pass the test, you’re eligible to get a medical license. If you don’t you aren’t (pending possible retakes). That’s it. The test is now used to evaluate candidates for residency and fellowship training in medical specialties. That is not what it is designed for. People train in specific specialties, and the test is in general medicine. It is not clear that acing a test in general medicine makes you suited to be the best eye surgeon, or the best psychiatrist. The test is also administered by a national entity, which can and does put ideologically loaded questions in there. I’m not at liberty to discuss any specific questions that I might have had, but again I would not say that this test is necessarily a great standard.
What would be better? In my opinion, tests for specific specialties (i.e. the standardized test to get into neurology should focus on things that a neurologist needs to know), and in some cases tests which measured things like hand-eye coordination for the surgical specialties might be appropriate as well as knowledge tests.